It is a generally known problem that vehicles are not provided with liquid dispensers to provide hot or cold water to occupants of such vehicles.
Various attempts have been made to solve this problem.
US patent application Publication No. 20020023452 issued Feb. 28, 2002 to Duerr et al for COOLING CONTAINER FOR VEHICLES teaches an interesting under seat wine cellar.
US patent application Publication No. 20020017102 issued Feb. 14, 2002 to Bell for THERMOELECTRIC HEAT EXCHANGER is less irrelevant, as it teaches a heat exchanger arrangement between a liquid and a thermoelectric system. However, the liquid is then used as a coolant for items like seat cushions or (see FIG. 8) a conventional ice chest type cooler.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,361 issued Oct. 8, 2002 to Faria for VEHICLE BEVERAGE DISPENSER is an item that teaches a fountain on the dashboard of the vehicle. However, it uses air conditioning coolant, not thermoelectric means, and thus teaches away from devices using thermoelectric cooling and heating. Numerous patents make the choice to use engine liquids such as air conditioning coolant (R-134a, FREON, ethylene glycol) due to the great amounts of energy which an automobile engine can produce when compared to electrical systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,381 issued Jul. 25, 2000 to Hsiao et al for REFRIGERATOR FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE teaches an under seat ice-chest connected to vehicle refrigerants, presumably the air conditioning fluids.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,706 issued Jun. 20, 2000 to Kritchman for CHILLED DRINKING WATER SUPPLY FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES is one of the items which uses the automobile's Freon (presumably including R-134 instead) in a heat exchanger to cool a drink.
One item of prior art (U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,939 issued May 23, 2000 to Lin for DRINKING WATER SUPPLY FOR AUTOMOBILE PURPOSE) may have a dispenser on the dashboard of a vehicle, that item, the '939 patent, teaches the use of an electric heater and may teach the use of an electric cooler, but it is not clear on this point: the item teaches two different structures for heating and cooling, which is normally unnecessary with a thermoelectric heater. It also appears to be a passenger space retrofit (a box), and thus is not disposed in the structural spaces of the vehicle. It has a “water storage bottle” which appears to be a commercial two liter soda pop bottle or something similar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,091 issued Jul. 27, 1999 to Hong for DUAL-PURPOSE REFRIGERATOR FOR USE ON AN AUTOMOBILE is another one which uses automobile coolant fluids and thus teaches away from the use of thermoelectrical cooling and heating of liquids.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,754 issued Dec. 30, 1997 to Choi et al for AUTOMOBILE REFRIGERATOR teaches an automobile having a door set into the dashboard, but uses the air conditioning coolant system of the car, and does not cool and dispense liquids.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,918 issued Mar. 12, 1996 to Brilanchik for SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING A THERMALLY MANIPULATED DRINK IN A LAND VEHICLE is yet another one using the cooling abilities of the car AC fluids. This individual also proposes using the car ENGINE BLOCK COOLANT (ethylene glycol, for example) to heat as well as cool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,649 issued Mar. 31, 1992 to Zorn for APPARATUS FOR COOLING A GLOVE COMPARTMENT IN A MOTOR VEHICLE is the item located using thermoelectrics to cool the glove box. This one does not implicate dispensing liquids.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,479 issued Oct. 29, 1991 to Carmi et al for THERMOELECTRIC DEVICE FOR HEATING OR COOLING FOOD AND DRINK CONTAINERS teaches a handheld cooler having thermoelectrics and the ability to be plugged into a 12 VDC outlet. It is in no sense “built-in” or concealed within the structure of the car: it takes up space in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,512 issued May 24, 1983 to Keith for BEVERAGE HEATER AND COOLER is another type of retrofit (see the '939 patent above) which uses a console rather than the dashboard and does at least have thermoelectric heaters. It uses a recessed dispenser on its own body/console rather than one that can be hidden behind the dash.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,202 issued Aug. 3, 1982 to Knutson for BEVERAGE COOLING APPARATUS FOR CONNECTION TO AUTO AIR CONDITIONER obviously teaches a device for connection to the air conditioner, as does U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,150 issued Feb. 20, 1979 to Rundell for DRINKING WATER SUPPLY AND CONDITIONER FOR VEHICLES. This one is mounted “console” style but close to the dashboard. U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,571 issued Jul. 12, 1977 to Bollinger for DRINKING WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM is yet another using the air conditioner fluids.
Obviously, it is desirable to provide a liquid dispensing system which is built into the structure of the vehicle and thus takes up no passenger compartment space, yet which uses clean thermoelectric heating and cooling of the liquids.
It is further desirable to provide a liquid dispensing system which is esthetically pleasing.